


Avenge-Morphs?

by MyHumpsMyLovelyLadyLumps



Series: The Shape-Shifting Aventures of Aurora Drake [1]
Category: Animorphs - Katherine A. Applegate, Ben 10 Series, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alien Invasion, Alien Technology, Aliens, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Gen, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Mind Control, No Sex, Odin's A+ Parenting, Original Character-centric, Superheroes in Spandex, Tight Pants, Tight Shirts, Transformation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2018-12-03 04:02:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 5,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11524146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyHumpsMyLovelyLadyLumps/pseuds/MyHumpsMyLovelyLadyLumps
Summary: The Tony, Bruce, Clint, Natasha, Thor, and T'Challa are teenagers going to SHIELD Academy, a high school for potential SHIELD recruits. There, they meet Aurora Drake, who seems normal at first, but is hiding a terrible secret. Now it's up to them to stop an alien invasion of Earth, with no one but Aurora and a recently unfrozen Steve Rogers to help them.





	1. "SHIELD Academy"

SHIELD Academy was founded by an organization called SHIELD. The basic idea was to train extraordinary children, prodigies, to reach their maximum potential, and, eventually, become SHIELD's top field agents. As a military intelligence organization, SHIELD needed the very best of the best to work for them. They had been keeping an eye on America's youth for some time now, looking for potential future agents. The idea of approaching them with an offer to train them for that specific purpose was Howard Stark's idea.

Tony, being Howard's son, was naturally among the first to be recruited. He accepted immediately, partially for the unique educational experiences offered, but mostly just to get his dad's attention. His father had been obsessed with finding Steve Rodgers, a frail little wisp of a kid who had volunteered to be cryogenically frozen during World War Two. The plan was to thaw him out in a couple of years, but unfortunately he had been lost. No one was quite sure how, only that Hydra had somehow been involved. Since then, Howard had been searching all over Europe for the kid, desperately looking for his long lost friend. He had not exactly spent a lot of time with Tony, neglecting his duties as a father in favor of more time spent searching for Steve. Tony was determined to get his father's approval.

Clint Barton was recruited when he was fourteen. He had run away from an abusive family at an early age, and joined the circus. He had spent the next five years training as an archer for the circus and being homeschooled by the circus's performers. Working under the name Trickshot, he became quite a popular act. A SHIELD agent attending the show saw his performance and approached the circus's owner about recruiting Clint. SHIELD wanted him as a sniper. Clint, realizing this may have been the chance at a better life he was hoping for, accepted. His first assignment as a junior agent was to root out a mole.

Natasha Romanov was that mole. She was only seven when she was planted as a sleeper agent in the US during the last days of the Cold War. When the USSR fell, the Red Room, a group that trained little girls to be spies, did not fall with it. Instead they continued to operate in secrecy, and sent Natasha to live in the United States. She was fifteen when Clint found her. Fortunately for Natasha, the Red Room had dissolved by then, leaving her stranded in a foreign country. Taking pity on her, Clint made the call to recruit her, rather than ending her life.

Bruce Banner was sixteen when he was recruited. Well, recruited wasn't really the right word. It was more like he was forced to join. Sure, they gave him a choice. He got to choose between joining SHIELD and going to prison. Why? He'd tried to blow up his school with a gamma-bomb he'd built himself. It had taken him weeks of careful preparation, only to be discovered at the last minute by the school's janitor. Fortunately for him, SHIELD had been sufficiently impressed that they decided to recruit him rather than arrest him. His exposure to the gamma-bomb's radioactive fuel had destabilized his DNA, however. He probably would have died in prison if he hadn't accepted their offer. Instead he received the medical treatments that saved his life.

Thor was banished from Asgard, for sheer hubris, to live among the mortals on Midgard, Earth, during the summer of 1998. It was just a few months after Bruce had joined SHIELD, and the news was still abuzz with gossip about the failed gamma bomb attack. Thus, when Thor appeared amid a flash of lightning alongside a hammer that no one else seemed able to lift, very few people paid any attention. Those that saw it were dismissed as liars or crazy people by others. Except SHIELD, who immediately swooped in to scoop up the world's first alien visitor. Who looked an awful lot like a regular human teenager. Most teenagers couldn't bench-press small cars, however.

T'Challa ended up in SHIELD custody by way of a tragedy. 1999 was a cause for most people to celebrate. The turn of the millennium was fast approaching, and a lot of people took that as an excuse to party hard. To the people of Wakanda, it marked the beginning of a schism. The Jabari tribe had recently taken up the White Gorilla cult once again, and a tribal war broke out. During the chaos T'Chaka, the king of Wakanda and T'Challa's father, was killed. T'Challa was in the United States at the time, studying as an exchange student in an American high school. When his father was killed and the throne usurped, T'Challa was forced to stay in the US to avoid being killed by the new king, M'Baku.

How the six of them ended up being friends no one seemed really sure. It might have started with Tony and Bruce discussing science in the library after Bruce loaned Tony a book. It might have started with T'Challa and Thor realizing they were the only two who didn't really understand modern American pop culture. They ended up sitting together at lunch, the only two who didn't have friends to sit with. Natasha and Clint were already besties by that point. Natasha took pity on them, and invited them to sit with her and Clint. Tony and Bruce ended up at the same table when Tony noticed a new clique forming and decided to insert himself and Bruce into it. At least they wouldn't be part of the "nerd" clique anymore.

It was just the six of them at first; going to school like regular kids. Hanging out at the mall after school, playing video games in the arcade, watching movies at the theater. Even though they were part of SHIELD, life seemed fairly normal. They were just semi-average kids living an average life. Even T'Challa and Thor fit in fairly well, despite being from a different country, or a different world. After a while, they got used to their life in the US, and they fell into a pattern. Every day they did the same basic things: go to school, go home to do homework, then go out to have some fun at the usual hangouts.

All of that began to fall apart after the new kid showed up.

 


	2. "The New Kid"

So there they were, all six of them sitting together at lunch, when in walks the Principal. Principal Coulson was a nice enough guy, but he could be scary when he was mad, so naturally, everyone went silent as he walked in. Next to him stood a young woman about their age, who appeared to be albino. She was dressed in all black, and stood sort of off to one side, like she wasn't sure whether to join in.

"Everyone, I'd like you all to meet Aurora Drake. She's a new student here, so be nice and help her out if she needs anything." Coulson said. Everyone immediately began staring at Aurora. Coulson introduced everyone this way, but it was odd that he was doing it during lunch and not homeroom. Why would she start school halfway through the day? She stared at the ground.

"Aurora, why don't you go sit with those kids over there?" Coulson asked, gesturing to their group. Aurora glanced at him, then walked over to them. Without saying anything she sat down next to Bruce. Coulson smiled blandly at them, then walked out. Natasha peered at the new girl curiously, as she was the only other girl in their group.

"Sorry about that. Coulson likes to think he can control the social dynamics in this school. Stark quit messing around." Natasha said. Tony had shoved two straws up his nose and was whistling through them. He yanked them out and wiped his nose with his napkin. He looked at Aurora nervously. He was always anxious around girls until he knew whether they liked him or not. He was certain he messed up with this one.

"Hi. I'm Tony." he said. "And that shameless asshat next to you is Bruce."

Bruce looked up from his meatloaf. He licked some gravy from his face. He looked at Aurora. Aurora looked back.

"Hi." she said dryly. "You should try a napkin."

Bruce nodded thoughtfully.

"But napkins aren't edible." he said. She stared in disbelief. What was wrong with this kid? He was super skinny, but ate like a pig. Did he have a tapeworm?

"...OK. Bruce, why don't you try eating like a civilized human being. I know your dad didn't feed you, but that's no reason to behave like an animal." Tony said, trying to sound mature. Aurora glanced at Tony then looked back to Bruce. His dad didn't feed him? The hell? Bruce, for his part, looked ashamed. He blushed, and wiped food from his mouth. Staring down at his now-empty plate, he mumbled.

"I'm still hungry." he said. Aurora, feeling sorry now, gave him a couple dollar bills to get another plate of food. Bruce tried to thank her, but she brushed it off.

"You can repay me by using a napkin." she said, dryly. Bruce blushed again. He went off to get another plate of food. Tony put his elbows on the table and his hands on his chin.

"So... Aurora. How did you get into SHIELD?" he asked. Aurora stared.

"Um... By passing the entrance exam?" she said. Tony snorted.

"No, I mean. What can you do that others can't?" he asked. "Do you have any special talents?"

"...I can sing." she said. Tony sighed.

"Fine, don't tell me." he said. Bruce returned with a mound of food on a too small plate. Aurora stared, the others ignored it.

"Um... So... What do you guys do for fun around here?" Aurora asked. She glanced at Tony. "Besides shoving straws up your nose."

Tony, ignoring the provocation, said, "Me and Bruce play video games at the arcade together."

Natasha looked up from cleaning her nails.

"Clint and I go to the movies sometimes." she said. Clint snored. She frowned at him.

"T'Challa and I study American culture in the SHIELD library." Thor offered. Aurora looked around at all of them.

"So you guys never get up to any shenanigans? You're all too good to get in trouble? What kind of teenagers are you?" she asked. They all looked at each other.

"What kind of trouble do you have in mind?" Tony asked. Aurora grinned.

"Meet me in the forest behind the new shopping mall tonight, and I'll show you what kind of trouble I have in mind." she said.


	3. "The Boy in the Icebox"

That night, they all met up in the woods, just as Aurora had suggested. She had advised them to wear long sleeve shirts and pants, despite the summer heat. So they were all sweating as they waiting for Aurora to show. Tony had brought some drinks, but they had gone through them all by the time Aurora showed up. She had arrived on a dirt bike.

"This is what we're doing?" Tony asked. "Riding a dirt bike in the forest at night? Isn't that illegal?"

"Probably." Aurora said. "You gonna chicken out?"

"Hell, no. Not after waiting around all evening." Tony said.

"What is this metal contraption?" Thor inquired. Aurora grinned.

"Why don't you go first, Thor?" she asked.

Thor shrugged. Aurora helped him onto the bike, and told him how to accelerate, brake, and steer. Then she sent him off. He drove straight into a tree. Everyone burst out laughing. Thor, grumpy, got to his feet and tried again. After a few more attempts, he managed to stay upright. Steering back over to them, Thor proudly handed the bike over to T'Challa. T'Challa handled it a bit better than Thor, probably because he had seen Thor do it first.

"This isn't that hard." T'Challa said. "But I fail to see how we're causing trouble."

"We're making a racket. Sooner or later someone's ether gonna tell us to stop or call the cops on us." Aurora said. "If they call the cops, we'll have to get outta here. Fast."

"Run from the cops? Now that's causing trouble." Clint said, looking devious. "My turn."

T'Challa handed over the bike to Clint, who took off like a rocket. He obviously knew how to handle it, because he wove in and out of the trees like he'd been doing this all his life. He drove around in circles for awhile, before spotting a small rise and shooting up it like a ramp. Everyone cheered. He came crashing back down, and the ground gave away. Everyone immediately stopped cheering and ran over to help. As they approached, they saw that the ground had broken apart to reveal a cave of some sort.

"Ow." Clint said, rubbing his head. He jumped up, brushing himself off and looked around. He was at the bottom of the cave. He spotted the others above him, and called up.

"I think it's man made. This room doesn't seem natural." he said.

"Can you climb back up?" Aurora asked. She was leaning forward, trying to see more of the cave.

"I don't think so." Clint said. He looked around some more. "It looks like there's another opening. I'm gonna try it out."

Clint vanished off to one side. Then with a clunk, a door, covered in moss opened up a few yards away. They rushed over.

"You ok, man?" Bruce asked. Clint nodded.

"You guys gotta see this." he breathed. They followed him into the room. It was definitely man made. The floor was tiled, the walls too straight, and then there was the door...

"Whoa." Tony said, suddenly. They all spun around to look. Tony had been using his cell phone light to see. It lit up a huge glass case. There was an outline of something inside. They all gathered around to get a better look. Tony reached forward and wiped condensation from the glass. Then he held up his phone to take a picture. The flash exposed the contents of the glass case.

"It's a person?" Natasha wondered.


	4. "Steve"

They all looked on in wonder for several minutes. Then Natasha noticed something.

"Uh... Guys? I think he's breathing." she said.

"He's alive?" Clint wondered.

"Cool! He's like... in cryonics. You know... to preserve him." Aurora said.

"Cryonics doesn't work, though." Tony said. "My dad worked on it for years back in the forties. The only successful test they had was..."

"...Was what?" Aurora asked, frowning.

"Steve Rogers." Tony said, astonished. "This must be him."

"The missing soldier?" Clint said, frowning. "No way."

"One way to find out." Bruce said. He pointed at what looked like a release valve. They all stared at it.

"...Yeah, let's do it!" Aurora practically shouted, making them all jump. She grabbed the valve and twisted it. There was a hissing sound, and a bunch of water vapor swirled out of the bottom of the case as it began to open. It got stuck about halfway there and they had to pry it the rest of the way open. As soon as they did, the boy inside slumped forwards. They caught him and lay him gently on the floor.

"Ugh." he said, eyes fluttering open.

"He sounds as bad as I feel." Clint remarked. He picked up a chip of ice and held it against a bruise on his head that was beginning to swell.

"Wha...?" the boy said, stirring. Then, with a start, he sat up. He looked around wildly, glancing at each of them.

"What happened? Who are you people? Where's Mr. Stark?" he demanded.

"Whoa. Slow down there. You just woke up. Wouldn't you like something to warm you up first?" Aurora asked. "I can't imagine that case was very comfortable."

The boy looked at her strangely.

"Mr. Stark said he would be there personally to wake me up." he said. "Now where is he?"

"He's probably at home, asleep." Tony said. "No one knew where you were, Steve. Hydra got involved, and the case you were in got lost. He's spent the past several decades searching for you."

"Decades?" Steve asked, shocked. "How long was I asleep?"

"The year is 2000, Steve." Aurora said, gently. "We found you by accident. You were declared MIA a long time ago."

Steve stared at the ground.

"Well, dang." he said.

"There are no adults around to be offended if you swear, dude." Clint said, mildly. Steve frowned.

"We should call somebody." Aurora said. "I bet we get a reward for finding him."

"Hey, it was me that found this place." Clint interjected.

"But you never would have come here if it weren't for me, and it was my bike." Aurora pointed out.

"Guys, cool it. We can share the reward. If there is one." Bruce said, gently. Aurora and Clint looked at each other.

"Fair enough." they both conceded.


	5. "Priceless"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little short. Think of it as a "mini-chapter" to conclude the first story arc.

In the end, they decided to take Steve to Tony's house. He had demanded to see Howard Stark, and since none of them could get a signal with their phones, they decided it was easier to just take him there. The trip there was mostly uneventful, with Steve occasionally pointing at things and asking what they were. Finally they arrived at the mansion where the Stark family was currently in residence.

"DAD! I'm home!" Tony yelled at the top of his lungs, as soon as they walked in. He grabbed a blanket off a chair and threw it over Steve.

"Don't shout, Tony."Howard Stark said, as he entered the foyer of the Stark household, drink in hand. He paused to take in the sight before him. His son, with a shit-eating grin on his face, surrounded by his friends, plus a girl he didn't know, and someone standing there with a blanket over them.

"What's going on, Tony?" he asked, wearily.

"I found something, Dad." Tony said, grin still in place. "Something you've been looking for."

"Really?" Howard asked, staring at the person covered in the blanket. "What did you find, Tony?"

"Before I show you, I just want you to know I discovered this in a single afternoon. And you have been searching for most of your life." Tony said, taking hold of the blanket.

Howard looked skeptical.

"Most of my life, huh? What did you find, my soul?" he asked, chuckling. He took a sip of his drink. Tony pulled the blanket off of Steve.

"Ta da! Steve Rogers!" Tony declared, proudly. Steve waved quietly. Howard choked on his drink.


	6. "No Chance in Hell"

It was later that same week when Steve joined them at SHIELD Academy. He was placed in a remedial history class to get him caught up on everything he'd missed. Aurora and the rest of the group received awards for finding Steve. The public went nuts for a few days, and Steve had to stay indoors to avoid the paparazzi. Then, gradually, life returned to normal. Bruce and Tony continued playing videogames at the arcade. Sometimes, Steve tagged along. Tony gave Steve his old Gameboy color, and a cartridge with Pong on it. Steve didn't really understand how video-games worked, but he was OK at playing them. The old ones anyway. The newer ones seemed to have too many different things to keep track of. Except for shooting games. He kicked everyone's asses at pretty much any game involving simulated combat. At least the ones that involved guns anyway.

"Shit." Tony said, as his character died for the fifth time in a row. They were at the arcade, and Steve was kicking Tony's ass at the new shooting game. Hero's Duty. Something about shooting bugs. All Tony knew was that Steve seemed to have some kind of sixth sense that told him when there was something behind his character.

"When are you gonna learn to turn around?" Steve asked, smirking.

"When are you gonna-" Tony broke off, as Aurora barged in.

"Hi, Tony. Can I borrow Steve for a minute?" she asked.

"Um. OK?" Tony said, as Aurora marched Steve out into the alley behind the arcade. Tony turned to Bruce, who had been watching.

"Is it just me, or is Aurora kind of weird?" he asked.

"How so?" Bruce asked.

"Well, she shows up out of nowhere, wants to be friends, then gets all reclusive and doesn't want anything to do with us, and now she's talking to Steve in private. What could she possibly have to say to him that can't be said in front of us?" Tony said, loading up another game with coins.

"Tony. Is it at all possible that you're just jealous of Steve?" Bruce asked.

"What? No." Tony said, shooting furiously at the bugs. He died.

"OK, maybe. What's he got that I haven't got?" Tony asked. He shot Bruce a look of frustration.

"She has been spending a lot of time with him." Bruce observed. "Maybe you should make a move. If you don't, someone else will."

At that moment Steve returned, minus Aurora. Tony frowned at him. He'd been cock-blocked before, but never by an icicle. Steve was frowning thoughtfully. He started towards the front of the arcade. Tony stepped in front of him.

"Where are you going?" he demanded.

"Aurora wants me to meet her somewhere. Why?" Steve asked.

"Are you two dating?" Tony asked, deciding not to beat around the bush.

"What? No, no. It's not like that." Steve protested. "She said she needed my help with something."

Tony stared at him with eyes narrowed.

"I'm serious." Steve insisted. Tony backed off a bit.

"Do you think I have a shot with her?" he asked. Steve snorted. Tony glared. Steve shifted uncomfortably.

"Look," he said. "I don't doubt you're a great guy, but Aurora is not going to be interested in dating you."

"How do you know?" Tony demanded. Steve shifted uncomfortably.

"She's not interested in men." he finally said.

"She's a lesbian?" Tony asked, stunned.

"No..." Steve said, shifting uncomfortably.

"What... Is she asexual?" Tony asked, confused.

"I don't know what that means. I just know she isn't interested in romance or sex." Steve said. Tony sighed.

"Well, shit." he said. "So much for that. Sorry I got mad at you. I thought you guys were dating."

"It's ok." Steve said. "But I gotta go."

"Bye." Tony said glumly. Steve left.


	7. "Wait, what?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took a break from writing over the holidays, but I'm back now!

The next day at school, Steve and Aurora were acting weird. They were constantly whispering to each other and passing notes. Tony did his best to ignore it. Then they did something he just couldn't ignore. He caught them both going into a supply closet together, during the short amount of time between classes.

"OK, what the fuck?" he said to Bruce. "Steve said they weren't dating."

"Maybe he lied." Bruce said. "We don't really know him all that well, do we?"

"I'm getting to the bottom of this." Tony decided aloud. He marched over to the closet and let himself in. To his surprise Steve was in there by himself. He stared at Tony fearfully.

"What the hell are you doing Rodgers?" Tony asked. Steve squirmed.

"Uh." was all he said. Tony looked at him skeptically. Steve continued to squirm. Something darted past Tony's feet. He spun around, expecting a mouse. Instead there was some strange humanoid creature standing there. It had grey-translucent skin, had four fingers on its hands, three toes on each foot, and big orange eyes. The pupils in its eyes were horizontally slit. It was wearing some black skintight outfit. The whole thing was about six inches tall. Tony gaped at it, before deciding it was some kind of toy. Then it moved again, looking at Steve.

"I think we're busted." it said. Tony gaped some more. Moving in closer for a better look, he saw that it had a somewhat feminine figure. It blinked sideways, its eyelids were on the left and right sides of its eyes instead of the top and bottom. It pointed at Tony.

"Stay where you are, or else." it threatened. Tony stopped gaping at it, and instead snickered.

"What are you gonna do, small fry?" he asked.

"Blast you with phasers on full power." it deadpanned. Tony laughed. Then he stopped as a thought occurred to him.

"Wait, what? Are you an alien?" he asked. It looked at Steve, then back at Tony. Steve looked at it, then back at Tony.

"You don't know what it is?" Steve demanded. Tony shook his head, perplexed. Steve sighed in relief.

"I guess we can trust you then." the creature said, thoughtfully. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Depends on who I'm keeping it from." Tony said, truthfully.

"Well, at least you're honest." Steve said. The creature narrowed its eyes.

"What do you know about Yeerks?" it asked.

"Yeerks?" Tony echoed. "Is that even a word?"

"It's a word. Pronoun. Name of a species." Steve said cryptically.

"Never heard of them." Tony said. "You wanna tell me why there's an alien in the school closet?"

The creature and Steve exchanged a glance.

"He doesn't seem to be lying." Steve said. The creature nodded. Then something incredible happened. The creature glowed light blue from the inside out, then began to change shape. After about thirty seconds it was no longer a miniscule alien. Instead Aurora was standing in front of him.

"You ever see that old movie: Invasion of the Body Snatchers?" she asked.

"Wait, what?" Tony demanded.


	8. "Yeerks"

"Yeerks are extra-terrestrial, mind-controlling, parasitic brain-slugs." Aurora said. "They look like over-sized slugs, but they crawl in your ear and wrap themselves around your brain, which allows them to seize control of all your motor functions."

"Like the aliens in that movie." Steve said. "Aurora showed it to me, to help explain what's going on."

"OK, slow down. How did Aurora become that little frog alien?" Tony asked.

"You mean Grey Matter? He's one of my alternate forms. I'm a shape-shifter." Aurora said, matter-of-factly. Tony just stared.

"...How?" he finally asked.

"A different species of alien, called Andalites, are fighting the Yeerks. One of them gave me a powerful weapon, called the Omnitrix, to use against the Yeerks." Aurora said. Tony considered that for a moment.

"What exactly does the Omnitrix do to you? How does this ability function?" he asked.

"I can't really explain it, I barely understand it myself." Aurora said. "Although I do know how to use it."

"Could you give someone else this power?" Tony asked, curious.

"I don't think so, I only have one Omnitrix, and I don't think humans have the capability to reproduce it. The Andalite gave me some other useful stuff though." Aurora said. "I recruited Steve because I knew for a fact he wasn't a Yeerk. He couldn't be, since he was frozen before the invasion started. But, you..."

"What invasion?" Tony asked, his eyebrows shooting straight up. "An alien invasion? Earth's about to be invaded?"

"Well, actually, the invasion has already begun." Aurora said. "The Yeerks are everywhere. When they take control of your body, they gain access to all of your memories, as well as your current thoughts. So they can pretend to be you. Perfectly. There are no outward signs of Yeerk infestation, which means you can't tell who is a Yeerk and who isn't."

"Current thoughts? The host doesn't die?" Tony said, horrified.

"No, they are just a slave, unable to do anything except witness the Yeerk invasion. They can still see, hear, smell, taste, feel, and think. They simply have no voluntary control over their own motor functions." Aurora said, somberly. "The Yeerk is in complete control. They can't even plan an escape, because the second you think something the Yeerk knows exactly what you are thinking."

"OK, that's terrifying. Why didn't you say something about this before?" Tony asked.

"Because they could very well have already infiltrated SHIELD and the Academy." Aurora said, darkly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to take some time away from writing due to some personal issues that had to be worked through.  
> I really hope y'all are ready for some Avenge-morphs excitement, 'cause I actually plan on finishing this story!


	9. "Some Assembly Required Part One"

Later, after school let out Tony, Steve, and Aurora met with the others in Tony's tree-house, which fit all of them and still had some room to spare. The tree-house was nicely furnished. A couple of couches and an armchair surrounded a wood stove, which was there for the winter months. The others looked around the tree-house with interest, but Aurora and Steve were too somber to take notice of the amenities. Tony waited impatiently for Aurora to begin. At school it was decided that the rest of the group should be brought up to speed on the invasion. If anyone was infested it would become readily apparent.

"OK. Has everyone here seen the movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers? Or at least heard of it?" Aurora asked. Everyone nodded, even Thor and T'Challa.

"OK, well don't freak out, but..." Aurora trailed off, before she began to change. The unearthly blue light returned, and she started to shrink. Her arms stuck to her sides and her legs fused together. Her skin turned a slimy grey color, and as she finished transforming, she hit the floor with a splat.

There was silence was a moment, then...

"What the fuck?" Clint asked. "Also, ew..."

 _This is what you call a Yeerk._ Everyone started slightly.

"What?" Tony said sharply.

 _I can't hear you guys very well. I'm going to change back now._ Everyone started again.

"Telepathy." Thor said, in awe as Aurora changed back. When she was finished there was nothing left but a smear of slime on the wooden floor, which Tony swiftly wiped up. Aurora turned to the others.

"OK. Yeerks. Yeerks are evil little slug aliens. They crawl in your ear and wrap themselves around your brain, seizing control of your body. They can also hear your thoughts and go through your memories. That allows them to behave just like you, fooling everyone around you. Anyone could have a Yeerk in their head, anyone." she said, somberly. "That includes you guys."

Everyone looked at each other uneasily.

"Well, I'm not a Yeerk. How do we fight them?" Clint asked. Natasha snorted. Aurora smirked.

"We have some weapons that I was given by another alien species, the Andalites." she said. "Let me bring you guys up to speed on what's happened so far."

~Flashback~

Aurora was walking home from the SHIELD Academy. She sighed. Being a SHIELD junior agent was harder than it looked. Sure she helped find Steve, but that was mostly an accident. Maybe buying her way in wasn't such a good idea. Sure they seemed nice now, when they needed any funding they could get a hold of, but what about later? If they got a hold of additional funding, they wouldn't need any students to provide them with money. If only being a Drake meant something other than weird looks and money.

BOOM.

Her head shot up. A sonic-boom? She was nowhere near an airport. Weird streaks of light began shooting across the sky.

"The hell?" she muttered. One was moving slower than the rest and was slowly angling towards her. She immediately regretted taking the path through the woods. As she began backing up, the meteor crashed into the ground before her. She stopped and stared. It wasn't a meteor at all, it was a huge metal object about the size of a school bus. As she watched it began to open up. It was a spaceship! And as the pilot began to emerge, she felt the urge to start running.

_Wait! Please. I mean you no harm._

"What?" Aurora gasped, clutching her head.

_I am speaking to you with my thoughts. Please, do not be afraid._

It looked like a centaur, but with a long tail ending with a spike. Its face had no mouth, and an extra pair of eyes peered down at her from stalks. The hands spread out in front of her had two extra fingers each, and its fur was a dark purple.

_I am Aldrea-Iskillion-Falan. I am an Andalite._

"You're an alien." Aurora muttered in awe.


End file.
